The shoreline at New Brighton is included in the Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch 2004 report.

It was checked as part of the UK's biggest annual beach clean and litter survey carried out in September last year.

While two other beaches examined in the region, Formby and Hilbre Island, came out better than average, New Brighton was worse.

Levels of litter was recorded at 58% compared with the national average of 44%.

Sewage related debris was 15%, compared with 9%.

A spokeswoman for the Marine Conservation Society said: "Any litter on our beaches is unacceptable.

"People will be disappointed to see New Brighton falling below the average on these two things."

The report concludes "Litter on beaches is totally preventable." A spokeswoman for Wirral council said: "We take the cleanliness of our beaches very seriously and have won a number of awards for their quality in recent years.

"It's extremely unfortunate that his snap shot survey took place after two days of strong westerly winds - giving a less than representative result.

"We, nevertheless, take all quality issues very seriously and will look at what else can be done to ensure the quality of our beaches is maintained."